Renowned feminist and social critic bell hooks takes on... hair! "Hair for hands to touch and play! Hair to take the gloom away." This rhythmic read-aloud is, on the surface, all about hair: nappy, plaited, long, short, natural, twisted, "soft like cotton, flower petal billowy soft, full of frizz and fuzz." Comb through the surface and find a celebration of childhood and girls and the freedom to express individuality. The rituals implied in the book are rooted in the traditions of hooks's own childhood, when "doing" hair was just as much an excuse for girls to laugh and tell stories and just be together. Going still deeper is the much-needed message encouraging girls to love and accept themselves (and others) just the way they are.

In bell hooks's first venture into children's books, she wisely teams up with Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator Chris Raschka (Yo! Yes?, Mysterious Thelonious). Raschka's bold paint strokes on a color wash background are strikingly original--a perfect match for the exuberant text. This beautiful picture book will surely make any reader, young or old, happy to be nappy--and anyone who raved or ranted over Carolivia Herron and illustrator Joe Cepeda's Nappy Hair will welcome this joyful, celebratory book. (Click to see a sample spread. Text copyright 1999 by bell hooks. Illustrations copyright 1999 by Chris Raschka. With permission of Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.) (Ages 3 and older) --Emilie Coulter


From Publishers Weekly
This joyous ode to hair may well restart conversations that began last year with the controversy over Carolivia Herron's Nappy Hair. Bubbling over with affection, and injecting a strong self-esteem boost for girls, hooks's ebullient, poetic text celebrates the innate beauty and freedom of hair that's "soft like cotton,/ flower petal billowy soft, full of frizz and fuzz." Waxing poetic about "short tight naps" or "plaited strands all," hooks conjures all the lovely varieties of hairstyles that "let girls go running free." She sings the praises of "girlpie hair," subtly reinforcing her theme with a chorus of descriptive words like "halo" and "crown." She also evokes the intimate warmth of mother-daughter timeA"sitting still for hands to brush or braid and make the day start hopefully." A powerful, uplifting and, above all, buoyantly fun read-aloud, the text receives a superb visual interpretation by Raschka (Like Likes Like). A master of minimalism, he works here in nuanced, impressionistic watercolors and suggests his subjects with a quick stroke of the brush here, a graceful sweep of line there. Bolstering the theme of individuality, he provides softly shaded washes of varying hue that set off the dazzling array of hairstyles like an aura and create a rhythmic flow of color across the pages. Broad swoops conjure curls and braids, quick stripes of colors make barrettes, and tiny dots create beads. Though clearly of particular interest to African-American girls, the infectious energy and spirit of this volume will appeal to all readers. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 3-A short, rhythmic tribute to little girls with "nappy" locks. "Girlpie hair smells clean/and sweet/is soft like cotton,/flower petal billowy soft,/full of frizz and fuzz." Raschka's illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to the brief, handwritten cursive text. They bring out the spirit behind hooks's writing and have great child appeal. With only watercolor-washed squares as background, the whimsical figures dance and caper. Reduced to the simplest childlike element, they nevertheless convey emotion and movement with the curve of a mouth or the jut of a hip. Using broad brush strokes, the artist creates fantastic hair that curls, whirls, and flows across the page or flips and piles over heads. This title is sure to invite comparisons to Carolivia Herron's Nappy Hair (Knopf, 1997). Hooks's text is gentler, a single, almost dreamy, literary voice. It is less personal than the lively call-and-response device found in Herron's book, which is full of the loving, yet pointed teasing of a large, close-knit family. Both authors, in their different ways, have written joyous celebrations that give hair a life of its own and encourage self-acceptance.Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
With all the current fuss about Herron's Nappy Hair (1997), this picture-book celebration of happy nappy hair will be welcome. And who better to do it than the great black feminist writer hooks, whose adult books include the powerful memoir Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood (1996), and Raschka, whose fine picture books include Yo! Yes? (1993). This book is less a children's story than a greeting card with just one exuberant message; but adults and small children will enjoy sharing the joyful words and the playful color wash pictures with thick black lines. Every page shows that there are all kinds of ways for small girls to be nappy and happy, their hair "full of frizz and fuzz . . . smooth or patted down, pulled tight, cut close, or just let go . . . to let girls go running free." Hazel Rochman


From Kirkus Reviews
PLB 0-7868-2377-1 Happy To Be Nappy (32 pp.; $14.95; PLB $15.49; Sept.; 0-7868-0427-0; PLB 0-7868-2377-1): Intentionally or not, this short paean to natural, in-all-its-glory hair constitutes a spirited response to the voices raised in protest over Carolivia Herron's Nappy Hair (1997). Raschka pairs hook's song praising ``girlpie hair . . . for hands to touch and play!/Hair to take the gloom away'' with impressionistic compositions of exuberantly dancing children, all sporting inky black locks rendered with calligraphic brush strokes. The big daubs of background color seem to dance and spin with the figures, visual music to match the verbal. (Picture book. 6-8) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Card catalog description
Celebrates the joy and beauty of nappy hair.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Filled with images of the many styles worn by African Americans, Happy to Be Nappy is a lovely jaunt into the world of hair. It rejoices in freedom, accepting yourself, the beauty of nappy locks, mother-daughter rituals, and awaiting the day with optimism.

Author bell hooks and illustrator Chris Raschka introduce toddlers to all the wonders their hair holds. Hooks uses delightful imagery to describe the many styles of nappy hair. Hair that is"soft like cotton," that creates "a halo of a crown." Girls are encouraged to let their hair move them, inspiring joy and laughter: "Hair to take the gloom away," as hooks beautifully says. This flowing language is matched with Chris Raschka's gorgeous watercolors. Heads are surrounded by loose swatches of color that frame the beauty of that nappy hair. Fluid lines create a sense of whimsy and joy. Raschka creates a wealth of expressions on the little girls' faces with a few simple strokes of his brush, making them appear deceptively simple. One delightful scene shows a mom carefully arranging her little one's hair as the girl sits very still.

This splendid, celebratory board book will inspire readers of all races and colors to enjoy their unique traits, share them with world, and appreciate the diversity of others. (Amy Barkat)

ANNOTATION

Celebrates the joy and beauty of nappy hair.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Acclaimed African-American author and poet bell hooks joins forces with illustrator Chris Raschka to celebrate the joy and beauty of nappy hair, in this exuberant, rhythmic, read-aloud book.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

This joyous ode to hair may well restart conversations that began last year with the controversy over Carolivia Herron's Nappy Hair. Bubbling over with affection, and injecting a strong self-esteem boost for girls, hooks's ebullient, poetic text celebrates the innate beauty and freedom of hair that's "soft like cotton,/ flower petal billowy soft, full of frizz and fuzz." Waxing poetic about "short tight naps" or "plaited strands all," hooks conjures all the lovely varieties of hairstyles that "let girls go running free." She sings the praises of "girlpie hair," subtly reinforcing her theme with a chorus of descriptive words like "halo" and "crown." She also evokes the intimate warmth of mother-daughter time--"sitting still for hands to brush or braid and make the day start hopefully." A powerful, uplifting and, above all, buoyantly fun read-aloud, the text receives a superb visual interpretation by Raschka (Like Likes Like). A master of minimalism, he works here in nuanced, impressionistic watercolors and suggests his subjects with a quick stroke of the brush here, a graceful sweep of line there. Bolstering the theme of individuality, he provides softly shaded washes of varying hue that set off the dazzling array of hairstyles like an aura and create a rhythmic flow of color across the pages. Broad swoops conjure curls and braids, quick stripes of colors make barrettes, and tiny dots create beads. Though clearly of particular interest to African-American girls, the infectious energy and spirit of this volume will appeal to all readers. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

K-Gr 3-A short, rhythmic tribute to little girls with "nappy" locks. "Girlpie hair smells clean/and sweet/is soft like cotton,/flower petal billowy soft,/full of frizz and fuzz." Raschka's illustrations are a perfect accompaniment to the brief, handwritten cursive text. They bring out the spirit behind hooks's writing and have great child appeal. With only watercolor-washed squares as background, the whimsical figures dance and caper. Reduced to the simplest childlike element, they nevertheless convey emotion and movement with the curve of a mouth or the jut of a hip. Using broad brush strokes, the artist creates fantastic hair that curls, whirls, and flows across the page or flips and piles over heads. This title is sure to invite comparisons to Carolivia Herron's Nappy Hair (Knopf, 1997). Hooks's text is gentler, a single, almost dreamy, literary voice. It is less personal than the lively call-and-response device found in Herron's book, which is full of the loving, yet pointed teasing of a large, close-knit family. Both authors, in their different ways, have written joyous celebrations that give hair a life of its own and encourage self-acceptance.-Karen James, Louisville Free Public Library, KY Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Barbara Aria

In Happy to Be Nappy, hooks gives girls a sense of wild freedom. With loopy words and flying rhythms, she tells girls that they're beautiful just the way they are, arms them with a sense of their own tremendous energy, shows them the pleasures of loving themselves and one another, and lets them revel in running and playing while the wind carries their hair all over the place.